Globally, there have been over 1.69 crore confirmed cases of COVID-19. More than 6.63 lakh people have died so far.
India has recorded more than 15.8 lakh cases of the novel coronavirus and 34,968 deaths, according to the Union Health Ministry's latest update. Of these, 5.2 lakh are active cases while 10.2 lakh have recovered.
With more than 4 lakh COVID-19 cases, Maharashtra has reported the highest number of infections, followed by Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.
Across the country, 4.4 lakh samples were tested for the novel coronavirus on July 29, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said.
Globally, there have been over 1.69 crore confirmed cases of COVID-19. More than 6.63 lakh people have died so far.
Here are all the latest updates:
>> The number of COVID-19 cases in India crossed 16 lakh-mark and over 35,000 deaths.
>> Several states, including West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, extended state-wide lockdowns a day after the Union Home Ministry released guidelines for Unlock 3.0. These state-specific lockdowns, however, came with certain relaxations.
>> West Bengal extended the suspension of flights to Kolkata from six COVID-19 hotspot cities – Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Chennai, Ahmedabad – till August 15.
>> Certain states, including Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh reported a spike in daily cases of infection, with Maharashtra reporting as many as over 11,000 cases for the first time since the outbreak.
>> In a press briefing, the Health Ministry said that there is no community transmission in India and said that herd immunity cannot be a strategic option for India, considering the country's population.
>> Gold demand in India plunged 70 percent during the April-June quarter to 63.7 tonnes, compared to the same period last year, mainly due to the nationwide coronavirus-driven lockdown, as well as high prices, according to a WGC report.
>> Spain reported the highest daily number of new coronavirus infections in almost three months with 1,153 fresh cases. The country's Health Ministry says this is the highest since early May, and up from 905 new cases reported on July 28.
>> Hong Kong reported 149 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, a daily record, including 145 that were locally transmitted